Running the Homeschool Race
I started running a few weeks ago. It’s been fun and challenging and empowering. There’s nothing quite like doing something you’ve never done before. Today my program dictated that I run for 20 minutes straight, something I’ve never before attempted.
The first five minutes were hard, knowing that I still had several minutes to go. At the ten minute mark, I didn’t think I’d make it. My mind began entertaining thoughts of quitting. My legs hurt and my breathing became labored. Just as I was replaying the idea of quitting, the thought occurred to me: If I quit, I’ll never make it past this leg. I knew that I would have psyched myself out and that 20-minute interval would become a giant that I would have a nearly impossible chance of beating. So I hung in there.
I slowed my pace and repeated over and over in my mind, “I can do this; I can do this. Don’t quit.” Suddenly I was at the end of my interval. I felt like a true athlete and let out a whoop to prove it.
How many times do all of us struggle to conquer a difficult challenge? How many times are we tempted to give up? Even in our homeschooling, when times get tough—when we’re tired, when our children don’t seem to be catching on, when our schedules become hectic, when life seems to be beating us up—we can begin to entertain thoughts of calling it quits.
First Corinthians 9:24-25 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
Yes, these verses are referring to salvation and the calling of the Gospel, but the spirit of the verses can be applied to any race God has called us to. If He has called you to homeschool your children, then realize that you are in a race. You, and your children, are in training for what the Lord has for you. It will not be easy to achieve, but it will be worth it.
And be encouraged, knowing that you are not the race alone, for whatever God has called you to, He will equip you to complete.